$850-900 budget GAMING computer help!

[youngan1026]

Approximate Purchase Date: I am trying to purchase all parts by next week latest is the week after.

Budget Range: I am hoping around $850

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Computer Science, Gaming (Diablo 3, SC2, LOL,), Movies,

Parts Not Required: mouse, keyboard, speakers.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg/Amazon, anywhere cheap!

Country: Washington, US

Parts Preferences: I'm not too strict on this, but I heard Intel are the way to go, anything quality based and that would last long!

Overclocking: Don't know how to do this, so probably not.

SLI or Crossfire: Don't know this either.

Monitor Resolution: 1080p

Additional Comments: Help me build a nice computer!

 

[James McKeane]

$950 w/o MIRs:

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($21.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH22NS90B DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VS228H-P 21.5" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $926.76
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2012-04-26 19:34 EDT-0400)

 

[aicom]

If you're at a university, they may provide you with a free copy of Windows which would cut that price by $100, putting it within budget. Also what sort of CS work are you doing? If you're building huge projects with lots of source, you might want to go with at least an i5-2400 for better performance.

 

[aznshinobi]

Check out my $650 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
Wait for the i5 3450 to release and get that next week. Performance increase and it'd be better than the i5 2400.
Switch the 6870 with the 7870 and you'll be good to go (+190)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102981
Cost: $837
The CPU is good enough for you, maybe you may complain about the motherboard. But you're not overclocking. You don't plan to SLI/CF you might as well get a cheaper motherboard to allow more towards the CPU and the GPU.

 

[youngan1026]

what about the intel i5-2500k? I see alot of people recommend that!

 

[aznshinobi]

The i5 2500K or i5 3570K to replace it is nice. But you don't plan to overclock getting the i5 2500K would be a waste as the performance difference isn't that large.

 

[youngan1026]

Should I overclock it? I would if I knew how too! but Im so confused, would i be able to run diablo 3 and multi task on another screen with the build you provided above? I actually don't need a screen added on to my 900 dollar budget, because im planning on buying it with my next paycheck.

 

[aznshinobi]

If you want to learn to learn it's quite easy. A quick google or youtube would easily assist you in this overclocking education. As for the $900 budget, if you can. Go with my $850. That'd be perfect.

 

[aznshinobi]

^ That would be a terrible computer. Terrible CPU performance, just a bad 1250 build and the CF 6670? What...

 

[Thrallsman]

No need for windows anyway. Run linux, or a less legitimate copy of windows